The Tour de l’Ardèche, a staple of the women’s stage racing calendar for over two decades, is set for sweeping changes in 2026. As reported by DirectVelo, the long-running event will shrink from its familiar week-long format to just three days, while also moving away from its historic presence in Lozère and Gard to focus solely on the Drôme and Ardèche.
Louis Jeannin, who has been at the helm since the race’s early years, confirmed that he and his team of volunteers will now share organisational duties with Guillaume Delpech, Damien Pollet, and the Boucles Drôme-Ardèche Organisation. This is the same group responsible for the men’s one-day races in the region and the upcoming European Championships.
“It was becoming too difficult financially and physically for us to continue alone,” Jeannin told DirectVelo. “There’s a need for fresh energy. I’ll soon be 80, and our volunteers were at the limit. The UCI has reprimanded us in recent years, and without change, it would have been impossible to go on.”
A tighter format and more professional structure
From 2026, the Tour will be reduced to three days, running from Friday to Sunday. Whether those stages will all be road races or include a time trial is still under discussion. The reshaped race is intended to maintain UCI status while also being logistically more manageable. Jeannin admitted that some departments, notably Lozère, were “disappointed” to be dropped from the route, but said it was necessary to secure the event’s future.
One significant change will be the end of team accommodation at the Saint-Alban-d’Auriolles campsite, which had long been a cost-saving measure but had also drawn complaints from commissaires. Several WorldTour teams, such as FDJ-Suez and Team Picnic PostNL, continued to stay there as recently as 2025. From now on, hotels will replace the camping model as the organisers seek to professionalise operations.
Television coverage on the horizon
Perhaps the most significant development is the introduction of live TV coverage. “It could change everything in terms of sponsorship,” Jeannin explained. “It’s a step up from a Facebook report, and we hope it will bring new partners on board.”
The race has been left behind in this area in recent years, with similar races showing live coverage, whereas Ardeche hasn’t shown live coverage in the modern era, leaving the race happening in somewhat of a black hole. Part of the reason for it is that the Ardeche is a hilly region, and 4G-based production wouldn’t have worked well enough to justify the costs. It will be a landmark moment in 2026 when the first live pictures from the race come through.
From Vos to Kopecky – a race with history
The Tour féminin de l’Ardèche has crowned some of the biggest names in the sport since its first edition in 2003. Past winners include Marianne Vos (2019), Kasia Niewiadoma (2018), Emma Pooley (2011 and 2012), and, more recently, Marta Cavalli (2023). The most recent edition in 2025 saw Monica Trinca Colonel take victory ahead of Femke de Vries and Maeva Squiban.
By reducing to three stages and focusing more tightly on the Ardèche and Drôme, the organisers are in some ways returning to the event’s roots. Early editions were held entirely in Ardèche, with towns like Bourg-Saint-Andéol, Vals-les-Bains and Villeneuve-de-Berg regular hosts.
For Jeannin, who has dedicated decades to women’s cycling, the changes represent both a passing of the torch and a step towards safeguarding the race’s long-term future. “It was time to stop before falling into a hole,” he said. “We want the race to shine for years to come, and with new energy and television, it can.”
